When I go on vacation I am always at a crossroads between being a vacationer and being a photographer. On one hand I want to bring my camera and shoot everything I see. I want to dive into the world of creativity and play all day long with shapes, color and textures. But then I end up being and thinking like a photographer, which bothers everyone around me. My mind is occupied with looking and spotting great things to shoot. I'm continuously looking for what I can shoot next.

Then there is always the option of NOT bringing the camera. The option of looking and seeing my experience without thinking about f-stops or shutter speeds. But, then I get this sort of anxiety of not being able to capture the things I see. Yes, I'm enjoying a nice relaxing time, but I always find myself saying, "Wow, look at that, I wish I had my camera." I could always just take my iPhone, which I've done in the past but the experience just isn't the same, and usually ends up with me thinking like a photographer again, not a person relaxing on vacation.

Nevertheless, on a recent trip to Hawaii, I played Mr. Photographer and I got rather snappy with my Sony NEX5 16mm 2.8 toy. Luckily, I was with another photographer, so I was easily forgiven. Here are a few of my favorites.